Ferdinand-Benedict Foundation
To most of the pre-Change world, The Ferdinand-Benedict Foundation was little more than a private group of altruists and philanthropists. For many years, they brought much-needed funds to various projects and injected economic vitality into research and development worldwide. They received large donations from different companies -- Usually for tax write-off purposes -- and applied those funds toward expanding their range of influence. The Foundation had been around for nearly a hundred and fifty years, and their benevolent hand touched nearly everywhere in the world. This was the public view, and one that the Foundation carefully cultivated. In the shrouded mists of history, the world was once a very different place. Legendary heroes and mythic evils walked the land, bringing terror and benevolence in equal measure to all the peoples of the world.. Until, one day, the balance was lost, and a great darkness began to consume all light, all life. Into this darkness stepped a single man, holding his own light up against this all-encompassing shadow, denying it, sending it squealing and mewling in a rage. This man was Silas Jaerjan, and the two forces battled for a long time, each with countless allies aiding their respective agendas. In the end, the light penetrated the darkness, pinned it to the earth, and made sure that the sun would continue to shine. In the end, it cost these heroes their very lives, and the power that fuelled them was lost to prehistory. Silas knew what was to come, however, and arranged for a group of personally handpicked mortals to carry on his legacy. He showed them secrets -- Mysteries that no other mortal, god, or Exalt would ever know -- and taught them arcane arts. He molded these mortals, shaping them into the image he needed them to be, that they could weather the years to come and safeguard that which he could no longer protect. He did this, and upon the completion of their training and induction to the hidden knowledge he provided, Silas gave them their title, one which they would be known by for thousands of years to come: "Horizon Wardens." The Founder, as they had known him and referenced him in all their texts, had crafted some form of protective barrier, trapping the darkness beyond the reach of infinity itself, to protect the world from its predation. He knew, however, that despite his calculations and the strength of his working, that this barrier would eventually fail if left untended. He also knew that when this happened, all that he had sought to preserve would be brought to nothing, and the world would become shrouded in a never-ending shadow. Their duty was simple, and critical -- To guard over the sacred mysteries given into their care by Silas Jaerjan, and ensure that they remained untouched and inviolate. Though none of them could not match his capabilities personally, they were more than a match for the responsibilities before them. For thousands of years, they watched over the sacred caches of artifacts left behind by Jaerjan, and policed the world for creatures of too great a power that might damage the wards that had been placed on the darkness. With secret occult knowledge and powerful martial skill, the Horizon Wardens maintained their eternal vigilance. Under Jaerjan's direction, they kept the Garou in check, preventing them from becoming too powerful but never wiping them out. They monitored the work of Mages over the years, assassinating those that had moved into areas of arcane study best left alone. In these early days, they were the secret guardians of the world, and they carried their duties with ruthless efficiency. Category:Organizations